Monday, April 18, 2011

More Flying Moss

I’m always watching for something that looks out of place, because that often leads to interesting discoveries. When I caught sight of this dark patch, I thought it was evidence that errant cows had paid a visit to Blue Jay Barrens. I average a visit from either cows or horses about twice in every three years. Usually it happens at the wettest time of year and they concentrate their activities on the yard and walking trails. The deep tracks remain through the summer to aggravate me whenever I walk or mow. Horses visited a few weeks ago, so it seemed unfair that I also had to deal with cows.

Closer examination revealed that I had actually seen a clump of moss masquerading as a cow plop. Actually, I’ll have to admit that the moss was innocently laying there being moss and I was the one who assigned a false identification. In my defense I’ll have to stipulate that the moss was looking uncharacteristically dark and bore a patterning that was definitely unmosslike. What is that blue-gray mottling on the moss clump?

Decomposing leaf fragments. This is not the way a leaf looks when it decomposes on the surface of the soil. This is what you expect a leaf to look like when it has been decomposing in a buried condition. So how was it buried and why is it clinging to the top of this clump of moss?

Knowing what the answer had to be, I flipped the moss over and discovered the true top of the moss clump. The leaf had spent its time decomposing beneath the moss clump, but was now exposed.

The brown patches in the moss along with the fungus strands growing beneath the clump, lead me to believe that the moss has resided here for a couple of months. Apparently this is another case of flying moss. I’ve always thought of moss as something stationary. Now, within a matter of a few weeks, I’ve discovered two cases of moss colonies moving to new locations.

This clump has reversed its growth direction and is now growing upward from what was once the bottom side. I’m still wondering about that leaf. If a leaf fell to the ground, would it remain intact long enough for moss to overgrow it? Not likely. I believe that this moss may be a frequent flier that, on an earlier flight, landed atop the leaf. The leaf began its decomposition beneath the moss clump and then ended up on the upper surface after the last move. Maybe moss is like the tumbleweed that frequently changes location through the power of the wind. I’ll have to start calling it tumblemoss.

ABOUT BLUE JAY BARRENS

Located in the Bluegrass region of Southern Ohio, Blue Jay Barrens contains excellent xeric habitat inhabited by a wide variety of rare native plant and animal species. Since 1985, this private property has been managed to improve the integrity of the special ecosystems found here. This blog provides information on the current activities at Blue Jay Barrens.

RESPONSE TO COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS BLOG

It’s my intent to share information on current events at Blue Jay Barrens. Unless otherwise noted in the text, all photos were taken by me at Blue Jay Barrens.

Plant scientific names are from Gleason and Cronquist 1991. I realize that some changes in preferred nomenclature have occurred, but this is the principle reference I have been using for flora identification. Knowing this, I believe most people can figure out just what plant I’m talking about.

My discussions of flora and fauna are not intended to be a complete life history. There are plenty of good references for this type of information. I am discussing my personal experiences with plants and animals on this specific property. Any other information I may provide is intended to help you understand the significance of my observations.

MY 3 FAVORITE NATURE BOOKS:

1- Of Mosquitoes, Moths and Mice, by C Brooke Worth.2- Mosquito Safari: A Naturalist in Southern Africa, by C Brooke Worth.3- A Naturalist in Trinidad, by C Brooke Worth.

MY 3 FAVORITE FICTION BOOKS:

1- The Witches of Karres by James H Schmitz2- The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham3- The Windhover Tapes (1st 3 volumes) by Warren Norwood

MY 3 FAVORITE MOVIES:

1- Vanishing Point 1971 with Barry Newman2- Flim Flam Man 1967 with George C Scott - also like the book by Guy Owens3- The Lathe Of Heaven 1979 with Bruce Davison - also like the book by Ursula K LeGuin

MY 3 FAVORITE TV SHOWS:

1- The Prisoner with Patrick McGoohan2- Fawlty Towers with John Cleese3- Kolchak: The Night Stalker with Darren McGavin